Get Up, Stand Up

Add standing desk flexibility without replacing your existing desk

If you’re reading this, there’s a good chance you spend a portion of your day sitting at a desk. Spending too long sitting at a computer is bad for you. It increases your risk of heart disease, deep vein thrombosis, back problems, and a laundry list of other health issues. But what do you do when your job demands your work at a computer all day?

We’re breaking from our usual fare today to bring you something a little different from our friends at Flexispot with the M3B 47” standing desk riser. Using the M3B, or one of Flexispot’s variants to match the size and style of your desk, you’ll easily be able to shift your workstation to a stand. After a few months at my office desk, I’m here to tell you might want to consider it even if you’re not worried about your health.

Specifications

• MSRP: $199 – 349 (Size dependent – M3B: $349)
• Smooth adjustment with 12 height settings
• Deeper desktop surface & wide keyboard tray
• Straight up & down movement optimizing for compact offices
• Smart desktop with built-in tablet integration
• Quality assured by cycling test of 6,000 height adjustments
• Simple one-step assembly
• Compatible with ergonomic monitor mounts
• Available in three size options and two colors (black or white)
• Dimensions: 23.2 x 47 x 19.7 in (M3B)
• Size: 47" (M3B – size variable)
• Loading Capacity: 44 lbs (M3B)
• Height Adjustment: 5.9-19.6 inch (M3B)
• Material: Fiberboard & steel
• Weight: 54.01 lbs (M3B)

Starting with packaging, the M3B arrives in a monster of a box. It’s heavy and awkward to carry with the 47” model, coming in at over 54 lbs and greater than four feet long boxed, so I’d recommend getting some help moving it to your install location. Packaging is pretty basic here.

Inside the box is a simple styrofoam shell that holds the desk, slide-in keyboard tray, plastic joint caps, and a cable management sleeve to keep things neat and tidy.

Taking it out, I was surprised to find that the desk is almost completely assembled. The only thing left to do after removing the protective styrofoam from between the legs is to slide in the keyboard. From unboxing to use is less than ten minutes if you set it right on your desktop instead of a table like I did here – doh.

The keyboard tray features two metal arms on either side that slide in mounts on the underside of the desk. Once inside they’re held in place with toolless grips, locked or released with easy to use levels as pictured above.

The downside is that the tray is non-adjustable and doesn’t slide in or out. It’s deep enough and wide enough to support a keyboard and mouse, but I find myself having to keep my mouse nearer to me to prevent running into the frame. It’s the kind of thing you don’t notice right away, but that can be irritating when you’re “in the zone” at your day job. It would be nice to see Flexispot add slide adjustment in a future revision.

The range of height adjustment is substantial. You’ll get about six inches of extra height fully depressed.

When all the way extended, the M3B raises just under twenty inches above your existing desktop. There are twelve levels where the riser will lock into place, so if it’s a bit too high for the last notch, it tends to snap into place. One thing to be aware of, especially if there are kids nearby, are the exposed arms. It would be fairly easy to get a nasty pinch if your fingers were between the arms when adjusting the unit. Likewise, it’s easy to crimp a stray USB cable, so keep fingers and cords clear.

The desktop is capable of bearing 44 pounds of weight. For most of us, that’s an entire system, but certainly enough for a monitor and anything else the average person keeps on their desktop. I chose to keep my tower on the actual desk for some extra space to position my monitor. There is some movement when typing or otherwise working on the M3B, but nothing more than you would expect from a desktop mounted on riser arms.

 

You’ll want to wipe it down after unboxing it to remove the styrofoam debris pictured here

Height adjustment is handled using a large lever on the right side. I was initially worried that the riser would be difficult to adjust or fall if I bumped the lever. Nothing could be further from the truth. The steel rod you see extending from the handle attaches to a hydraulic valve. You can easily move the desktop up or down with a single hand, but without giving the lever a good upward squeeze and push, it’s not going anywhere.

Is It Worth It?

When I received this Flexispot Desk Riser, I honestly wasn’t sure I needed it. If you couldn’t tell from the pictures, I’m an elementary school teacher. My day is a good mix of sitting and standing, but I figured, why not? Well, after testing it for nearly three months, I love it and would want one regardless of any health concerns.

A desk riser affords you versatility it’s hard to go back from. Sometimes when I come to my desk, I need to jot a quick note or fire off an email before moving away again. In cases like this, it’s far better to be able to stand and stay ready for motion. Other times, I don’t mind having to sit and position myself. If I’m giving a presentation using a document camera, that’s more convenient. The Flexispot Desk Riser lets me do what I want when I want, and that’s a huge selling point I didn’t even realize before using it for myself. The health benefits speak for themselves and are an even more significant benefit than the day-to-day convenience.

I do wish the fiberboard was a little denser (I earned a small dent bumping it into my desk during installation) and that the keyboard tray was adjustable, but this is an add-on that has changed the way I work on a daily basis. In fact, I’m typing this review standing up! Given the wide range of sizes, prices, and styles, these desk risers present a good value with potentially life-saving benefits and are an easy recommendation to make.

Review Terms and Disclosure All Information as of the Date of Publication
How product was obtained:	The product is on loan from Flexispot for the purpose of this review.
What happens to the product after review:	The product remains the property of Flexispot but is on extended loan for future testing and product comparisons.
Company involvement:	Flexispot had no control over the content of the review and was not consulted prior to publication.
PC Perspective Compensation:	Neither PC Perspective nor any of its staff were paid or compensated in any way by Flexispot for this review.
Advertising Disclosure:	Flexispot has not purchased advertising at PC Perspective during the past twelve months.
Affiliate links:	This article contains affiliate links to online retailers. PC Perspective may receive compensation for purchases through those links.
Consulting Disclosure:	Flexispot is not a current client of Shrout Research for products or services related to this review.